Quote Originally Posted by poop
I'm talking about DWB and the like.
We've spoken about this before, but to clarify, I really don't think this is a problem in the UK. You're much more likely to be judged by the model of car you're driving than the colour of your skin. I found it really difficult to determine a driver's race from behind, I could only do it in 30 zones where we're right up their ass. I just don't think cops in this country think "this guy is black, let's pull him", not unless they're actively looking for a black man driving a similar car.

DWB might well be a problem in USA. It does seem so, but I really can't tell from this side of the pond whether it's just people playing the R-card. It's pretty much a reflex now for many black people to assume or pretend that any police interaction is racism. Remember Ali G doing the "is it 'cause I is black?" That was astute social satire.

Just the other day I heard about a black man who bought a nice new car (legitmately) and started getting pulled over by the police on a regular basis. In the UK. The cops had a range of excuses for stopping him that were all obv. bullshit.
And I'm willing to bet the police didn't know he was black until after they pulled him. Of course we'll never know, but perhaps it was the car itself that caught the police's attention.

And you think if he complains something is going to happen? You are living in a dreamworld.
Probably not the first time. In fact almost certainly not, because the first time you complain, it probably won't be considered harassment until there's a record of it happening again. But the second time, the third time, after a while you have sufficient grounds to approach a lawyer. The law does actually protect people from harassment from the police, you just have to stand up to them lawfully. If you don't complain, you've no right to call it harassment.

You're making my argument for me here. They came from the base. Or do you think the SAS are patrolling your streets just in case?
I mean that example I gave was more anecdotal than relevant. I'm sure we all agree here that a society needs an armed response police force of some kind. We're pretty close to an SAS base, plus the last short wave radio station in the UK, which I kid you not broadcasts USA propaganda to Russia. So it's no surprise to me that we're also two minutes away from the nearest armed response unit.

Traffic cops can deal with accidents.
So what, reassign street cops to traffic cops? They'd do exactly the same job only with a different job title. Without beat cops, traffic cops would fill that void, being first respondents to supermarkets to pick up shoplifters.

We only have traffic cops here on major routes like motorways. Most towns and cities, traffic cops are beat cops.

They are if you're training them locally. They're also better able to respond because they're better trained.
Depends how local. Granted in some cases this will be feasible, in other cases though not so much.

It's the cops who are out driving around bored looking for an excuse to accost someone who are causing a lot of the problems imo.
I don't think there are all that many cops who actively cause problems so they can arrest or bully people. I think this is largely your imagination. Maybe I'm wrong when it comes to USA though.

In the US, cops are specifically trained to look for excuses to pull people over. Driving with out of state plates? Hmm, that's not normal, better pull him over. Black man driving in a white neighborhood, better see what he's up to. Etc.
These two reasons are not good enough alone. But let's imagine you're looking for a black man from out of state while patrolling a white neighbourhood. If you only look at one reason or the other, then it's unacceptable. Both together, well now we're legitimately policing.